Investing Outside Coastal Hubs: Advantages and Signals

Josh Christensen, Director at Mercato Partners, shares how minority growth investors can turn ecosystem-building into a true competitive advantage—without taking control or over-engineering outcomes. Drawing on his experience scaling Mercato’s playbook across non-coastal markets, Josh breaks down what it takes to embed sales, marketing, and human capital excellence from first touch through IPO, and how to focus resources where they actually accelerate 100%+ growth.

Learn why authentic relationship-building drives stronger deal flow and portfolio performance, how community initiatives can surface the best opportunities ahead of a fundraise, and what it takes to measure value creation beyond capital returns.